Chasing Fire
by Burgundy
Summary: Post HBP. Harry, Hermione, and Ron must find the next horcrux before it is too late. But will Harry be able to stay away from Ginny? HPGW RWHG
1. Chapter 1: Coming to the Burrow

Author notes: This story occurs after Book 6 and contains spoilers for Book 6, so be forewarned.

Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine, etc., etc.

Chapter 1

Harry had never seen anything of its like his entire life.

As Harry, Ron, and Hermione stepped out of the fireplace with Harry's trunk and dusted off ash and floo powder, the Burrow's kitchen sparkled with a misty pink fog. Everything—the well-worn table, the homey kitchen counter, the masonry fireplace they had just stepped out of, the collection of dusty cookbooks with food swimming on the covers, even Mrs.Weasley's prized clock with all hands pointing to "mortal peril"—was enveloped in the pink haze.

Mrs.Weasley emerged from the mist smiling and grabbed each of them in smothering hugs. "Harry, how are your relatives?"

"Same as always," Harry mumbled, eager to forget the Dursleys.

"Hermione, I hope your parents are well. Ron, look at that hair! You must let me shorten it sometime soon." Mrs. Weasley tugged at her son's hair and turned his head this way and that to get a better look.

"Mum!" Ron, though now much taller than his mother, wriggled away from her grasp on his hair. "What's all this pink stuff, Mum?" Ron asked when he was free, waving his hand in a useless attempt to disperse the fog.

Mrs.Weasley's face turned sour. "Fleur insisted on having this here for her bridal shower. We didn't realize she would fill the entire first floor with it."

Ron stifled a laugh as Hermione offered, "Have you tried Glenda Gauguin's Air Clearing Spray Potion? It worked wonders for Katie Bell's aunt Flora after a spell gone wrong."

Mrs. Weasley brightened a bit. "Why thank you, dear, I will look into that this evening." As Mrs. Weasley began herding them towards the stairs, she began, "Now, Ron, you and Harry take Harry's things up to your room. The beds are made for you already up there. I have just recently cleaned that room, Ron, don't you destroy it just yet."

"Since when do I destroy my room?"

Mrs. Weasley stopped and gave her son a look before she continued. "Hermione, you'll be with Ginny, as usual"—Mrs. Weasley did not notice Harry turning a bit pink at the mention of Ginny's name—"in fact, I believe she's waiting for you up there right now. The bridal shower is tonight after dinner, and boys, I'm afraid it is a women-only event."

Ron and Harry shared grins that they would be avoiding the pink mist.

"So you'll be de-gnoming the garden with your brothers. Have I mentioned that Fred and George are arriving this evening?"

"De-gnoming?" Ron asked gloomily. "But the wedding's not for two days. Shouldn't we wait until the night before?"

"We'll be getting ready tomorrow, silly boy." Mrs. Weasley smiled pinched Ron's cheek, and Harry turned a bit red when Mrs. Weasley kissed him on the cheek. "So glad you're here, dearest. Now go settle in and wash up for dinner."

Harry dropped his trunk down at the foot of the second bed in Ron's room, and Ron fell backward onto his bed. Ron began to doze off as Harry fiddled with the lock on his trunk.

Ron was jerked awake by the clatter of Harry's trunk bursting open and books and clothes exploding out of it. "Blimey, mate, are you trying to kill me?" Harry mumbled an apology as Ron moaned, "I can't believe she's making us de-gnome the garden when we're just barely back from Privet Drive." Ron sighed heavily.

Harry's thoughts were elsewhere. "What do you think we'll find at Godric's Hollow? Is it strange that I've never been there before? I don't even know what happened to the house. What if it's been destroyed?"

"Isn't it yours?" Ron yawned and stretched out sleepily.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, didn't you inherit the house?" Ron asked.

"Inherit what house?" Hermione poked her head in the door, Ginny close behind.

Ron sat up, his hair even more disheveled than before. "You sure unpacked fast."

"Yes, it's called being efficient." Hermione smiled at her little joke.

"Looks like lazy bones here just took a nap," Ginny jibed her brother. Ron glared at her grumpily. "Hey Harry," Ginny said, more quietly.

"Hey Ginny." Harry smiled at her briefly and then turned his gaze away.

"Now stop trying to change the subject. What's this about a house?" Hermione asked.

"Well," Harry began.

"Oh, did you mean your parents' house at Godric Hollow? I already spoke with Remus about that." Hermione pulled a bit of parchment out of her pocket. Even the margins were covered with notes. "He says that you did, in fact, inherit it, but it's been in ruins for some fifteen years."

"How in the world did you have time to find this all out?" Ron asked incredulously.

"I have a house?" Harry's face brightened as he jumped up from where he was sitting. "How come no one told me about this any sooner?"

"Apparently local villagers think it's cursed. Everyone in Godric's Hollow has avoided it since… well, since Voldemort's visit." Hermione said his name as though it were something bitter she had to spit out, and Ron winced a bit when she said it. "Ron, you can't keep wincing like that." He didn't respond. "You know Dumbledore told us that not using his name is just another way he has power over us."

Ron just pressed his lips together. Then Hermione said, "Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort. Nothing will happen to you. See? I'm fine. Now you say it."

Ron looked at Harry and then Ginny and finally Hermione, and then said quietly, "Voldemort."

"Nice job, Ron." Ginny patted him on the back rather harder than was necessary, then said, "Let's all go on down to dinner."

At the bottom of the stairs, Mrs.Weasley greeted them, saying, "I did forget to tell you, this letter came while you all were gone." She handed Ron a letter that had apparently been folded and refolded many times. "I am so glad Minerva has decided to give it a go. We have had much too much tragedy here lately."

Ron opened the letter, and Harry and Hermione read it over his shoulder:

Dear Hogwarts Students and Parents,

The governors and I have decided, after much thought and discussion, that the most prudent option would be to keep Hogwarts open. We must train our children in the wizarding arts in order that they be best prepared for anything that is to come. You would be doing your children a disservice if you do not allow them to come back. However, in order to better protect Hogwarts students, Aurors will be patrolling the campus twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. So that you will feel you have looked over every option, we have also included contact information for Wizarding schools Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, should you wish to seek a transfer, and also for private tutoring. However, I stress to you that schooling is a much more concrete option that will give your child the skills and background necessary in order to do well in the Wizarding world.

If you have further questions or concerns, you may contact me or any staff member by owl post.

Most sincere regards,

Professor Minerva McGonagall

The next two days flew by more quickly than Harry imagined possible, and he soon found himself seated at Fleur and Bill's wedding reception on the lawn of the Burrow, which sparkled greenly and was somehow twice as large as usual. Fortunately, Mrs.Weasley had talked Fleur out of having the pink mist on the lawn, and Fleur had settled on pink tablecloths and pink chairs. Harry sat alone at his table as everyone else had gone off to mingle or dance.

Throngs of guests seemed to flow across the lawn in waves from the food buffet to the makeshift dance floor, where Bill, in black and white dress robes, and Fleur, radiant in a flowing white gown with enchanted wings that held up her train, floated in waltzing circles. Fleur's dazzling smile threw a luminous glow about her that Harry had never seen before. Among all the couples, Harry spotted Ron and Hermione dancing together. Ron looked down at his feet, and Hermione laughed as he kept tripping over himself.

Harry stared down into his glass of pumpkin cider and sighed. He turned his glass in his hand and watched the contents slowly swirl. He heard someone sit down next to him and looked up.

"Is there something I should know about that cider?" Ginny smiled at him. "You sure seem to be studying it hard."

Harry laughed lightly and noticed the sea green gown that complimented her flaming hair. "You look amazing."

Ginny smiled and blushed briefly. "So you're going to Godric's Hollow after this is over?" Ginny turned her head slightly to try and look into his eyes for hints.

"Hermione doesn't hold back, does she?" Harry smiled but didn't make eye contact.

"You're dodging the question."

"It was my home once. It must hold some sort of clues for me."

"Clues?"

"Ginny, you know I can't involve you in this now."

She paused, then asked, "Do you want to dance?" He finally lifted his eyes and looked into her brown ones and noticed that they were flecked with green.

"Ginny—"

"I know, I know, never mind. I just," she began.

"Ginny!" Fleur's joyful voice echoed across the lawn. "Come for pictures!"

Ginny got up, turned as if to say something, and then she just smiled sadly at Harry before dashing across the Burrow's yard, her pale green gown flowing behind her.

Harry got up to refresh his drink, and, still watching Ginny across the lawn, nearly tripped when he heard a sinister voice say, "Potter! I've been looking for you!"


	2. Chapter 2: In Dreams

Chapter 2

"Come quickly, boy!" Professor McGonagall nearly dragged Harry to a dark corner on the edge of the festivities. He noticed her bright tartan dress robes and found them laughably at odds with her tone, but he kept his smile to himself.

"Professor, how glad you could come." Harry smiled at her in order to deflect any oncoming criticism.

"I have just spoken with Miss Granger, and she implied that you and she AND Ronald Weasley all intend to drop out of Hogwarts for the year." The professor leaned menacingly toward him. "Now is the time to show solidarity! How do you expect hundreds of Gryffindor students to come back to Hogwarts when you are not? What kind of cowardice is that?"

Harry, though feeling a bit green, said stoutly, "I am doing something that is necessary; it would be what Dumbledore would have wanted."

"I don't know what you're doing, Potter, but you will continue your studies. Do you think dropping out of Hogwarts would be what Dumbledore would have wanted?" She paused. "I didn't think so. I will work it out with Miss Granger, and you three will come to my office by Floo Powder twice weekly to study with me."

"But—"

"No buts. Until you get your wits back about you, I suppose this will have to do. Some years ago, I made a vow to help you become an Auror, and I will see to it that you get Es on at least the 5 required NEWTs, so help me."

"Auror?" Harry smiled a bit despite himself.

"Whatever it is you are doing for Dumbledore, I'm sure you will be able to find a way to get yourselves to my office twice weekly through the Floo Network. I will send an owl with specific directions to Miss Granger. Now I'm going to go help myself to some of that fabulous oak-matured mead Rosmerta brought. I do fear it will never be quite the same after that incident last year. I will be in touch." She turned and left Harry standing alone, somewhat stunned.

_He was in a cozy room lit only by the light of a small fire to his left. He was wrapped in warm, soft blankets, and he was so sleepy. Two dark figures stood talking in soft tones to his right, standing next to a chest at the foot of a double bed. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness after looking at the fire, he could see a young woman with thick red hair that fell past her shoulder blades and a young man with glasses that glinted in the light._

"_Lily, will it be safe there?" Harry's father, a man just out of his teens, was running a hand through his barely-too-long brown hair as he stood in front of his wife._

"_Of course it will. It is very well protected." Lily smiled and wrapped her arms around James. "We've been over this a hundred times. You worry too much. I thought I was the worrywart." She kissed him softly and, forehead to forehead, whispered, "I love you."_

"_I love you." He kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to go downstairs and clean up the dinner dishes."_

"_Do you have to leave?" She held his shoulders and mimicked despair._

"_I'll be back as quick as you can swish your wand." She held James's hand as long as she could before he left the room and had to pull away._

_Lily walked over to the fire and looked down at her son. He blinked up at her. She leaned down, whispering, "Dearest, I thought you were sleeping. You were just waiting to hear the lullaby again, weren't you?" Lily picked him up, and he felt safe and warm in her arms. "Couldn't wait until tomorrow night?" She laughed softly, saying, "Impatient, just like your father." Then she began singing:_

"_Lullaby and good night_

_With roses be dight_

_With lilies bedecked_

_In baby's wee bed"_

_She set him down in the crib as she continued:_

"_Lay thee down now and rest_

_May thy slumber be blessed_

_Lay thee down—"_

_Her lullaby was cut off at sounds of yelling and fighting. She picked up her wand off of the nightstand next to her bed._

_He could hear muffled shouting and a calm, high laughter. Suddenly, he heard himself crying._

"_Shh, Harry, shh," Lily rushed over to her son's crib._

_Right outside the bedroom, there was a horrible scuffle and then a deafening silence._

"_No! James!" Lily's voice was hoarse and thin._

_The door slammed open, but Harry could not see anything but a bright green light. He heard a curiously high, hollow laughter, and then the sound of his mother screaming stifled his own cries._

"No! Mum, no!" Harry cried out. He opened his bleary eyes to find bright brown ones staring back down at him.

"Harry, you're alright." Ginny smoothed the sweat-soaked hair out of his face. "You were just having a nightmare. Shh, shh." She continued running her fingers through his hair, and it calmed him immensely. Gradually, his heavy breathing slowed.

"Ginny, you… Thank you."

She smiled down at him.

He sat up a bit, and asked, "What were you doing up here anyhow?"

"Mum and I were just bringing your birthday breakfast in bed." She motioned to the tray on the nightstand between the two beds. "Mum just went down to get the pumpkin juice when you… Well, when you woke up."

Ron mumbled something about how "the spiders, the spiders are coming!" and rolled back over.

Ginny giggled, and Harry couldn't help but smile with her.

"Hey, Gin?" Harry gave her a sideways look.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we can keep this between us?"

"Looks like you're still sleeping to me. However, Ron will definitely hear about the spiders later." She winked playfully, then whispered, "Lay back down; Mum's coming."

With a pitcher of pumpkin juice and a tray of goodies, Mrs.Weasley billowed into the room and roared, "Happy Birthday, Harry!"

Ron nearly jumped out of his bed sheets, while Harry yawned exaggeratedly but smiled a very real smile.


	3. Chapter 3: A Surprise

Chapter 3

Harry, Hermione, and all of the Weasleys (excepting the newlyweds, Charlie, and Percy) were gathered in the Burrow's kitchen for a filling lunch of English stew.

"Got your apparating license yet, Potter?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, we want to know when so we can make sure to get out of the way." George winked. "Wouldn't want to lose an eyebrow."

"Well," Harry began.

"You two leave the birthday boy alone," Mrs. Weasley said, giving her twin sons a rather ominous look. "So when should we go down to Diagon alley? Would you all like to go tomorrow afternoon?" A strange silence fell across the table. "Your father won't be able to go then, but I've spoken with Nymphadora and Remus, and they can accompany us."

"Yeah, Ron," George urged, holding back a laugh, "When are you going to come visit us at Diagon Alley?"

Ron scratched his ear and suddenly became very interested in the vegetables in his stew.

"What is it, Ron?" Mrs. Weasley asked, a suspicious glint in her eyes.

Ginny, sitting to one side of Harry, sighed and looked at him, trying to catch his eye, but he was too busy watching the verbal sparring that was about to explode.

Ron, still looking down, coughed and began, "Well, Mum, there's something I've been meaning to mention to you. You see—"

Mid-sentence, Ron was cut off by a beautiful tawny owl dropping a letter in the middle of the table.

"What's this?" Mrs. Weasley asked. She picked it up. "It's addressed to Hermione, Harry, and Ron." She turned it over, as if looking for clues, and handed it to Hermione.

Hermione looked at it for a moment. Harry and Ron, sitting on either side of her, peered eagerly over her shoulders. The twins, Ginny, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley all had their eyes on her as well.

"Aren't you going to open it, dearest?" Mrs. Weasley asked, eyes perked up.

Hermione slid her finger through the envelope and said, "It's from Professor McGonagall."

"Oh my dear!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "I do hope she hasn't changed her mind about the school."

"I don't think that's it, Mum," Ginny said quietly.

Hermione opened it, and she read it silently with Ron and Harry.

- - -

Dear Miss Granger, Mister Potter, and Mister Weasley,

I have arranged that you three shall come by Floo powder to my office twice weekly, Saturdays at 8am and Wednesdays at 7pm. All other reading and study instructions I have included in an attached list. I expect prompt arrivals; I will be prepared and so will you.

Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

- - -

"It's about our studies this year," Hermione said. "McGonagall wants us to come in for lessons."

"Why would you take extra lessons?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Because we're not going to be at Hogwarts this semester," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"Hermione!" Ron hissed in an undertone. "I hadn't told her yet."

"You haven't told her yet?" Hermione screeched.

"Told me? Ronald Bilius Weasley! What do you mean you're not going back to Hogwarts?" Mrs. Weasley's voice echoed off the walls of the kitchen. "What do you expect to be doing instead?"

"Ron," Mr. Weasley said, a bit more calmly than his wife, "Hogwarts is one of the safest places you could be right now. Where else would you go?"

Harry spoke up. "There's something I have to do—"

"Something _we_ have to do," Hermione put in, nodding to Harry to continue.

"Something Dumbledore wanted. We have to take care of this."

"What could you possibly be doing that's more important than finishing school?" Mrs. Weasley asked, reeling.

"Mum!" Fred exclaimed. "Look at us—we're doing fine."

"That's not the same!" Mrs. Weasley shouted, turning a rather bright tomato color. "You had better have something good!"

Harry said, "We have Dumbledore's blessing."

"Where could that be? It can't be anywhere safe." Her words were beginning to rush together more. "You can't take away my baby boy!" She started sobbing, and Mr. Weasley patted her back awkwardly.

"Harry and Hermione will take care of him, Mum," Ginny put in. Under the table, Ginny wrapped her hand around Harry's and squeezed his hand tightly. "I trust them."


	4. Chapter 4: Camp Olympus

Chapter 4

Harry pulled his hand out of Ginny's and swallowed. He turned his head slightly and whispered in a tone soft enough only for her, "No."

The others were focusing on Mrs. Weasley's emotional outburst and did not notice when Ginny quickly jerked her hand back and didn't say a word, but the sparkle in her eyes was snuffed out like a candle just smothered.

In the end, Mrs. Weasley stopped fighting and just went up to her room to lay down.

Some twenty minutes later, Ron, Harry, and Hermione were up in Ron's room, trying to figure out what they needed to bring. Hermione sat on Ron's bed, absentmindedly petting a pygmy puff of Fred and George's—a special type that was supposed to be able to change color whenever anyone coughed or sneezed or clapped loudly, but it just trembled violently every time Hermione clapped. Ron was unsuccessfully trying to organize his belongings, and Harry was searching through his trunk for anything that might be useful.

"Well, Hermione and I have got our Apparating Licenses"—Ron did not mention that he had to take the test three times before he passed earlier that summer—"so we can get places much more quickly, but what about you, mate?"

"We can't just be jumping here and there without you," Hermione said. "We'll just have to—"

"I've already arranged with Mr. Weasley to get my license this week. He's going to take me to the Ministry tomorrow." Harry grinned.

At that moment, Arthur Weasley poked his head in the door.

"Speak of the devil!" Ron cried.

Mr. Weasley looked confused for a moment, but regained his composure and only said, "We're going somewhere right after dinner, so don't make any plans."

"All of us?" Hermione asked.

"You three, and Molly and me." Mr. Weasley coughed, which caused the pygmy puff tremble viciously. "And of course, I suppose Fred and George will be coming as well."

"Where are we going?" Hermione pet the pygmy puff to calm it down.

"Don't you worry about that right now. We'll be traveling by Floo powder," Mr. Weasley directed this last comment at Harry. "Well, I'll see you all in a bit." He left in a hurry but with many more questions in his wake than answers.

"Where could we be going?" Harry asked.

"You don't think they're going to lock us up somewhere and try to force us to go to Hogwarts? What if they lock us up with a member of the Order? What if we're stuck with Mundungus and he puts us somewhere with rats?" Ron began to turn a bit green. "And spiders?" His voice cracked on the last syllable.

"Ron!" Hermione admonished. "That's outlandish even for you!"

"Your parents would never do that."

"You're right, Harry," Ron mumbled. "They might just stick us with Mrs. Figg."

Harry ignored this last comment. "I meant to tell you all something. This might be silly, but I had another dream about my parents last night. About the night they died."

Ron swallowed and looked a bit taken aback.

"Harry, I'm so sorry," Hermione whispered. "Was it the same dream?"

Harry paused and did not mention that it had been a nightmare or that Ginny had comforted him on waking. Thinking about her made his stomach feel like he had just swallowed a bag of wiggling flobberworms, so he started talking to keep his mind on something else. "My mum was talking about something hidden. At least, I think it was hidden. My dad was worried about it being safe, and my mum said that it was well-protected."

"What if they knew about the horcruxes?" Ron asked. "What if they had hidden a horcrux?"

"That doesn't make any sense, Ron," Hermione put in. "They would have destroyed a horcrux right away."

"But that doesn't mean they didn't know that the horcruxes existed," Ron added.

"They could be talking about something entirely different. They could have just been talking about some sort of family heirloom," Hermione said pragmatically.

"It could have been anything." Harry closed his eyes for a moment. Was this even a clue or were they just grasping at straws?

"Harry," Hermione began, "the best way to deal with this is to keep track of all of your dreams. Keep paper and quill next to your bed—maybe some sort of journal—and write it all down, and we can put the pieces together later. For all we know, this dream was just your mind filling in the blanks."

"Hermione," Harry drew his words out slowly, "you didn't hear my mother's scream. I couldn't have made that up."

After dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley gathered everyone—everyone except Ginny—by the fireplace. The wood crackled merrily and popped every now and then. Ginny, told to stay with the house, had left the room wordlessly several minutes before, her jaw set. Harry wanted to know why she couldn't come, but he thought it would be in his best interest not to ask.

"Just wait till you see this, mates," Fred told the trio. "It's quite the trip."

Mr. Weasley, standing next to Mrs. Weasley and holding a flower pot full of Floo powder, explained, "We are going to Camp Olympus. Be sure to be very clear when you yell into the fire. Apparently, Mount Olympus is a very unfortunate tavern up in Bulgaria, and it is also on the Floo network, and your mother and I had some strange run- ins—"

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley gave him a quelling look.

"Right, right, off we go then. Molly, you first."

"But what is Camp Olympus?" Hermione asked.

"Wherever we want it to be." Mr. Weasley winked and smiled.

One by one, each of them tumbled out of a stone fireplace into a dark, dank wood.

Harry stepped back as he dusted himself off, and he looked back at their odd entrance point. It was a tottering stone fireplace in the middle of a clearing—apparently, it had once been part of a small house, but nothing remained of the house beyond a few sad-looking stones with bits of crumbling mortar still clinging onto them.

Fred and George came out of the chimney without a bit of soot on them.

"How did you possibly stay so clean?" Ron asked incredulously.

"You'll have to buy some of our newly-patented dirt-repellent robes, mate," Fred said.

"There are a couple of odd side effects, but I wouldn't worry too much," George added, patting Ron heartily on the back.

Mr. Weasley, who came out last, asked breathlessly, and with a hint of excitement to his voice, "Molly, shall you lead or should I?"

"Oh, do let me, Arthur. It feels such like the old days when I do." Mrs. Weasley giggled girlishly and motioned the others to follow her.

She twisted her way through the forest, passing several very mossy trees. In fact, as Harry looked closer, the moss seemed to almost be moving. They stopped at a small tree that forked at the base.

Mrs. Weasley mumbled a spell, and a diamond-shaped doorway appeared in the opening of the trunk. She mumbled another spell, and the door creaked open. She ushered everyone into what appeared to be an entry chamber—a small, dimly lit room with dark wooden walls and a low ceiling—though it did not appear to have any other doors but the one everyone had come in through. As soon as the door closed, it disappeared into the wall.

Mrs. Weasley, smiling the whole time, placed her hand next to a knot in the wood on the wall, and a door slid open.

The door opened into a large but cozy meeting area, and hellos erupted from the other side.

Tonks, her hair a fabulously bright pink, jumped up to greet the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione. She gave Harry, Hermione, and Ron each enthusiastic hugs in turn.

"It's great to see you, Tonks, but what's going on?" Harry asked.

"I thought you had mush for brains, and now it's been confirmed." Tonks smiled and shook her head, her bright hair bobbing. "You're being inducted into the Order!"


	5. Chapter 5: Joining the Order

Chapter 5

"Isn't this place amazing?" Tonks grabbed Hermione's hands and twirled her around the room. She was positively glowing. Hermione couldn't help but smile back.

Molly Weasley greeted her son Charlie warmly as Fred and George patted him on the back and found seats at the large round table behind Tonks.

The place was somewhat dimly lit, but the atmosphere was one of comraderie. A very large group sat at the table, chattering and sipping from hefty mugs. Mad-Eye Moody and Remus sat close to the door, speaking in muted tones. Hagrid and, surprisingly, Madame Maxime, were laughing and talking next to them. Harry also noticed Dedalus Diggle with his violet top hat; Elphias Doge, whose silvery hair shone in the candlelight; and Kingsley Shacklebolt, looking as solemn as ever. Professor McGonagall sat at the table on the opposite side, and there were a few other faces he did not recognize. A chorus of "Good to see you!" and "Glad to have you here!" came from all at the table.

"That entrance is pretty impressive," Hermione said.

"So where are we?" Ron asked. "Some sort of enchanted forest?"

"No, my boy," Moody answered. "Our location changes constantly."

"We have made some adjustments to one of our camping tents." Mr. Weasley rubbed his hands together excitedly. Mrs. Weasley, noticing her husband's excitement at the enchantment of another Muggle artifact, raised her eyebrows and sighed resignedly. "Minerva designed the 'forest' outside. It's really inside, but if you don't know exactly where to go, you could wander for miles, and the beauty of it is that you'd just be going in circles only steps from the entrance."

"The second door there won't let you through if there's any trace of dark magic about you. Remus and Alastor designed that." Tonks explained, beaming at Lupin. Lupin smiled back at her, and Harry noticed that he seemed much less bedraggled than last year.

"The only problem with that is if you've been injured by dark magic," Lupin added, "it becomes much more difficult to come in. We're still working out some things."

"Oh yeah," Tonks jumped in, "Harry, Ron, Hermione, this is Persephone Milo." A tall girl about Tonks' age with thick, dark hair and olive skin waved at the trio. "She's in Auror training right now. And this is Curran O'Brien." A sturdy bloke with pale Irish skin and a bit of a windburned look nodded in their direction. "He's just recently joined as well. He works in Romania with Charlie."

"Now," Professor McGonagall's voice sounded loudly across the room, and the chattering fell into a whispering and then disappeared completely. "Let's get going, here, everyone. Nymphadora, could you…?" She looked pointedly at Tonks.

Tonks, suddenly understanding, ushered Harry, Ron, and Hermione to three seats at the closest side of the round table, directly opposite McGonagall. Tonks sat to one side of Harry, with Lupin on her other side.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione," McGonagall addressed them each in turn. "We have brought you here tonight to invite you to join the Order of the Phoenix." Hermione sat up a bit straighter at the sound of this. "To be inducted is a great honor, but it must be your choice. Joining incurs a great deal of risk on your part because it throws you into the center of the current conflict. That is not to say," and she looked pointedly at Harry, "that you are to go out of your way to get yourself into trouble. Sometimes the most important parts of a fight are the parts we fight on a day to day basis. Do you understand?" She drew out these last three words slowly.

Each of them nodded solemnly.

"Good. As junior members, you will be slowly brought into the fold. You will become a full member after two years of membership and service. Becoming a member involves taking an oath of loyalty to the Order in front of three or more living members. As you can see, many members came out tonight to show their support." McGonagall smiled slightly, then continued, "You must swear to be loyal to the cause. We not only protect the magical _and_ Muggle worlds from dark magic to the best of our abilities, but we also work offensively—"

"That means we go after Voldy," Tonks whispered excitedly into Harry's ear.

"—in order to provide better protection for all," McGonagall finished. She paused, then, looking directly at Hermione, asked, "Hermione Granger, are you willing to take the oath of loyalty to the Order?"

"I am," Hermione responded solemnly, her hair bobbing slightly as she nodded.

In turn, McGonagall asked Harry and Ron, who both agreed in similar fashion. McGonagall had them repeat the oath after her, and cheering ensued from the other members.

Afterwards, Fred and George came up to the trio, jostling Ron's hair like he was twelve again.

"Blimey, George!" Ron tried to flatten his hair, but it continued to stick out at weird angles.

George ignored his little brother's comment, just continuing to grin jovially, and said, "Congrats, mates! You've done well."

"So what will we be helping with first?" Ron asked eagerly.

"Sometimes you're such a stupid one, Ron," Fred said. "You're junior members."

"That really means you're just allowed to come to the meetings, now," George added.

"I expected as much," Hermione said, grinning from ear to ear."

"Why are you so happy about that?" Harry asked.

"Merlin's beard, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "Don't you see what this means?"

Harry just stared at her.

"We're being treated like adults. What does it matter if we don't get to do any of the legwork yet?" Then she added in an undertone, "Don't we do enough of it already?"

"That's the spirit!" Fred said.

"Maybe we could let them in our stash of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder." George winked.

Fred leaned in a bit. "Since we've pulled it from the shelves, we do have quite a bit extra."

"That would be just fabulous, boys," Hermione beamed at them, though Ron continued to eye them suspiciously and stepped a little closer to Hermione. Harry suddenly realized that Ron thought his brothers were flirting with her, and he had to struggle to hold in his laughter.

"Since you're so enthusiastic," George added, "we might just throw in a few other things as well. Perhaps some Extendable Ears?"

As the conversation slipped into the topic of business at the joke shop, someone tapped Harry on the shoulder. Harry turned around and saw Lupin behind him.

"Come here for a minute, Harry." Lupin pulled Harry aside, away from the group. "I wanted to offer my congratulations. You know, your parents would be so proud."

Harry blushed a bit and wasn't sure quite how to respond.

"And Dumbledore as well."

"Thank you, Professor."

"You know you don't need to call me that anymore, Harry."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry. Anyhow, Molly told me that you were intending on visiting Godric's Hollow."

"How did she know?"

"You know, Harry, she's smarter than you give her credit for."

Harry nodded. "I know she's smart. I just thought, well…"

"I would like to come with you, Harry."

"Why?" Harry stopped himself, realizing he sounded rude, and said, "I'm sorry. You knew my parents many years longer than I did, and—"

"Harry, I'm not trying to take anything away from you. I just thought that you would want to know how it was when your parents were alive."

Harry looked at Lupin blankly.

"What I mean to say is that I could tell you all about how they lived. I would consider it a privilege if you would allow me to join you."

"Of course."

"You just tell me when and where."

- - -

_Arms were wrapped tightly around him; his mother was holding him very close._

"_He and Neville are just the same age. Maybe someday they'll be as good of friends as we are," Lily told the round-faced woman sitting across from her in the living room, smiling brightly._

_The second woman held a much chubbier, round-faced baby boy in her arms and smiled back just as warmly. "We can grow old together as we watch them grow up. Someday they'll take care of us," she chuckled._

_In a softer voice, the round-faced woman leaned in and said, "I have something for you." She set her son down to play on the carpet next to them, and Lily did the same. The boys stared at each for a moment, and then the first boy shook his rattle. The round-faced baby gurgled in delight._

"_What is it, Alice?"_

_Alice pulled a small glass vial with a swirling silvery liquid out of an inside pocket of her robes and handed it to Lily. Lily's eyes widened as Alice said, "You should hide them here. In the room below."_

_A knock sounded sharply at the door. Suddenly, the living room burst into green flames and Harry could hear high, cold laughter._


	6. Chapter 6: A Bloodcurdling Scream

Chapter 6

Though not screaming this time, Harry woke convulsing. His breathing slowed as he realized, in the dim moonlight that filtered through the dusty glass on Ron's window, that he was safe. The calm, methodical sound of Ron's breathing and the soft whistling of wind outside brought Harry back to reality. And he thought this time to grab the journal next to his bed. Hermione had enchanted it to be oblivious to common charms. He quickly scribbled down everything that had happened in his dream—everything he could remember. Trying to remember it was almost like trying to capture smoke.

His mother, Neville, the silvery liquid in the vial—it must mean something. What were they trying to hide? What did that memory hold the key to? And was it at Godric's Hollow?

- - -

"Harry, we have to figure out why you're having these dreams all of a sudden," Hermione began.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione sat at the Weasleys' kitchen table, searching through Mrs. Weasley's old photo albums for any clue as to what the Potters had been protecting. The sun shone drowsily outside through the wavy windowpanes. Smiling faces waved and chuckled happily from the pages of the album Harry had open. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. There was nothing new here.

"What could we possibly find here? There's no way there'd be any clues in these." Ron closed his album abruptly, and a wave of dust caused Harry to go into coughing spasms.

"You never know, Ronald. We could be missing something in plain sight." Hermione smoothed out the dog-eared corner of the page she was perusing.

"Sorry about that, mate," Ron said, patting Harry on the back as his coughing subsided.

Harry recovered himself and smiled faintly at the picture he'd been staring at for the past ten minutes. In it, his mother held a giggling baby Harry, and his father and Sirius tried endlessly to prevent their toppling wizard chess from hitting the floor. The action played in a continuous loop—Lily tickling Harry, James looking up and clumsily knocking over the chess set, Harry giggling, Sirius waving his wand wildly to prevent the chess set from shattering on the floor. It was a snapshot of everyday family life, something Harry ached for.

"I took that picture."

Harry jumped to see Remus Lupin standing behind him. "I didn't hear you coming."

"I do sometimes surprise people." Remus smiled, his slightly disheveled hair hanging down a bit into his eyes.

"He's been looking at that same picture for ages." Hermione didn't even look up.

"Well, it's quite a nice picture." Remus leaned in slightly to get a better look. "I was always fond of pictures that captured a bit of action." He paused, "Oh, and my dear Hermione, you will not find any clues or hints in these pictures, whatever you might be looking for. They were scoured before they touched Molly Weasley's bookshelf."

Hermione finally looked up, taken aback.

"We didn't take any chances in those days."

"What about hiding memories at Godric's Hollow? Wasn't that taking a chance?" Ron asked.

"Ron!" Hermione hissed. Harry had related the contents of his dream to Ron and Hermione that morning but with the explicit instructions that it not be shared with anyone, at least not yet.

Lupin looked at Ron quizzically. "What do you mean?"

Harry sighed, and, after throwing an irritated look Ron's way, explained to Lupin what he had dreamt about the night before.

"What did the carpet look like?" Lupin asked.

"What?" Harry stared at Lupin.

"What did the carpet look like?"

"I guess it was round." Harry paused, thinking. "It was dark green, with a bit of grey woven in."

Lupin continued. "And what did the front door look like?"

"Umm… I suppose it was a dark, mahogany kind of color, and it had some sort of carved design."

"Of what?"

"I don't know!" Harry cried, frustrated. "I'm surprised I remember as much as I do. Why are you asking these questions?"

"I'm just trying to determine if it was a memory or just a dream. If you described anything about Godric's Hollow incorrectly, it would be just a dream."

"And did I?"

Lupin paused. "No, you describe it correctly. But, it could still be just a dream."

"What of the memory?" Ron asked. "Did it exist?"

"Well, that's the tricky part." Lupin scratched his chin. "We didn't know for sure if Alice retrieved that memory or not. If that exchanged happened between Alice and Lily, it happened right before Alice and Frank were"—he drew in his breath sharply—"taken."

"So you're saying this memory really exists?" Ron asked, gaping slightly.

Hermione, not missing a beat, asked, "What about this secret room?"

"Well, now, don't get your hopes up," Lupin began.

"We're going to Godric's Hollow in an hour." Harry's jaw was set, his teeth clenched. He turned to Lupin. "Are you joining us?"

"We can't just go over there in broad daylight, Harry. Besides, we need to visit Alice Longbottom first to see if what you dreamed really happened."

"Oh, I suppose so." Harry replied, a bit deflated.

"He's right. We should go see Neville's parents and then go to Godric's Hollow tonight. Late tonight." Hermione began stacking the photo albums.

"You're going to see Neville's parents?" Ginny bounced down the stairs into the kitchen, her red hair flowing out behind her. "Can I come?"

"You're going to Hogwarts tomorrow!" Ron did his best older brother look, but he ended up just looking like he had been surprised by some bad pumpkin juice.

Harry caught Ginny's eyes but said nothing.

"Look, I'm not trying to get killed by Death Eaters. I'm just bored. I've got to pack for Hogwarts anyhow. Which brings me to the reason I came downstairs—Hermione, can I borrow that soft grey uniform cloak of yours, since you won't be needing your school robes?"

"Yes, of course," Hermione said distractedly.

"Well, have fun," Ginny said, and she walked back up the stairs.

Ron watched his sister disappear into the stairwell. "Looks like we're headed to St. Mungo's, then, doesn't it?"

- - -

The floors of St. Mungo's were strangely clean, shining brightly as if seven hundred house elves had been cleaning and waxing them that very morning. Who knew—perhaps they had.

Lupin, Harry, Ron, and Hermione raced along the shiny clean corridors past pictures of disapproving ancient healers; echoes of "Slow down, you imprudent young whippersnappers!" and "Watch your speed, man!" filled the halls.

Just before entering the live-in ward, Lupin stopped the three teenagers. "Hermione, Ron, I think it would be best if Harry and I go see Alice and Frank alone."

"What? Why? You haven't got anything to hide from us," Ron said stubbornly.

"No, but they may feel they have something to hide from you. They will feel much less threatened if we just visit with them, just the two of us."

"We can't just sit here!" Ron protested.

"You're right," Lupin replied. "That's why I've arranged for you to have a visit with Gilderoy Lockhart."

All the color suddenly drained from Hermione's face. "What?!? I didn't come here to coddle that crazy man."

"Actually, you two will be busy keeping the hospital staff busy with these unfortunate exploding pixie plants that you've brought as a gift for your dear Professor Lockhart. You will have quite a time catching them, I'm afraid, after touching the blue flowers." Lupin whipped out two small plants from inside his robe. "Please don't touch the flowers until you have a couple nurses take notice of you first."

Hermione and Ron grudgingly agreed, traipsing toward Lockhart's end of the ward while Lupin and Harry went to visit the Longbottoms.

"Now Harry," Lupin began, "it is unlikely we will get a straight answer from Alice. What we might be able to do is to note her reaction to things we say. That will be valuable to us."

"I understand." Harry nodded in agreement, but he still did not fully understand why they had come all the way to St. Mungo's to speak with a woman who had lost her wits more than a decade ago.

Harry and Lupin found Alice and Frank sitting together on sterile plastic chairs next to a window in an open area of the ward, wearing raggedy bath robes but—amazingly—holding hands. Frank's dark hair was flecked with grey, and Alice's hair, pulled into a soft bun (probably by one of the nurses) was streaked with silver. They were both sipping tea from plastic cups with trembling hands. Lupin strode up to Frank and shook his hand. "Frank! How wonderful to see you!"

Frank smiled happily at Lupin and shook his hand. For a moment, Harry thought Frank Longbottom knew what was going on, but it was an illusion. Frank mumbled something about catfish and knitting needles and smiled again.

Alice responded the same way.

"Alice," Lupin began, "this is Harry Potter, James and Lily's son. You've met before."

Alice smiled dreamily.

"Harry's going to tell you a story, a story that you're in," Lupin continued.

Alice continued to smile dreamily, and Harry proceeded to tell Alice about his dream. Harry finished his story, but Alice had not responded except to casually shred the napkin she'd been holding.

Harry took Alice's hands in his and leaned in so that his eyes burned into hers. "Is there a secret room in the house at Godric's Hollow? What were you and my mother hiding?" He paused. "Did it have to do with Voldemort's horcruxes?"

Suddenly Alice screamed a bat-deafening screech that would not stop. There was no fear in her eyes, but she continued to scream bloody murder from her plastic hospital chair.

Harry stared at her, horrified and torn. He tried to calm her down, but it was no use. Lupin smoothed down her hair, and Harry tried to pat her hand—nothing.

A sturdy, older witch bustled over and whisked the boys out of the way. "Gentlemen, I suggest that you leave now. We will take care of Mrs. Longbottom."

"But!" Harry attempted, to no avail.

Lupin put his arm over Harry's shoulder's and guided him towards the door. "It's time to go to Godric's Hollow."

- - -

"Are you sure the Muggles can't see us?" Ron asked warily, yawning.

"Yes, of course, silly," Hermione chided him as she stepped out into an alley outside St. Mungo's. Lupin and Harry followed quietly. "I've used a chameleon charm. It will only last for a few minutes. I haven't got it down enough to get it to last any longer on all four of us at once."

"That brilliant work, Hermione," Lupin smiled at her.

"Besides," Harry added, "very few Muggles will be awake this time of night anyhow."

"Gather round," Lupin said, waving them towards him. He held out a small picture of the house at Godric's Hollow—the cottage where the Potters had once lived. "Know that this home can only be found by those who already know where it is. Muggles think the wood in Godric's Hollow, the wood surrounding the cottage, is haunted, and powerful Muggle-repellent charms around it have kept people out for years. It is probably in ruins. Focus this picture in your mind so that we all apparate into this small clearing in front of the house." Lupin paused, looking up to make sure each young pair of eyes was focusing on the picture. "Are you ready?"

CRACK. Harry apparated into the clearing first. Overgrown vines and tree branches blocked out all but the smallest bit of moonlight. Dense foliage had shrunken the size of the clearing in front of the Potter cottage. The thatching on the roof was bare in places and clearly rotted in others.

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. One by one, each air-splitting sound signaled an arrival in the heavily forested area. Harry could not see any of his friends; Hermione's chameleon charm worked too well.

"Hurry," Lupin whispered, "to the front door. Follow the sound of my voice." Harry rushed over to the front door, bumping into Lupin.

"I didn't even see it here!" Ron's voice exclaimed. "Where did this come from?"

"That's because you didn't know it was here until Lupin just showed you," Hermione said. "You can only find it if you've been taken here by someone who knows where it is."

"But I saw it as soon as I apparated," Harry put in.

"That's because you've been here before." Hermione shook her head.

"Oh, right," Harry mumbled, scratching his head. He suddenly realized he could make out Lupin's outline in the twilight.

"Even with anti-Muggle spells around here, we've still got to get out of sight after all those loud cracking sounds. The chameleon charm's wearing off," Hermione fretted, looking over her shoulder.

Lupin hunched in front of the key hole, mumbling a string of spells. As the door clicked open, he winked at Harry and Ron. "I've still got it."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione unceremoniously piled into the front room behind Lupin, and an eerie silence suddenly gripped them. An odd sense of déjà vu sent pin pricks down Harry's back. Hermione stood a little closer to Ron than was entirely necessary. The wood floors creaked beneath them, and everything looked so… normal. Harry realized abruptly that he had been expecting a crime scene. Though the overstuffed couch looked a bit moth-eaten, and the floor buried in dust and dirt, this just looked like a house that had been left empty for years, nothing more. _Avada Kedavra_ spills no blood.

Lupin broke the silence. "After Voldemort ransacked the house and the Order searched for anything left, Molly and Minerva came back and cleaned up the mess. They were always good with those sorts of spells."

"Tonks can't do those worth a kneazle's knuckle," Ron said offhandedly and laughed a bit at his own joke.

"Ron!" Hermione elbowed him.

"Well, she can't!"

"He's right." Lupin chuckled.

"What was that?" Harry stood still, head tilted towards the ceiling. A low creak came from the ceiling.

"That's not a kneazle," Ron whispered.


	7. Chapter 7: Godric's Hollow

Chapter 7

"Oh buck up, Ron! There's no one upstairs." Hermione chided, her thick hair swinging as she turned towards Ron. "I saw some squirrels coming in and out of the broken upstairs window before we came in."

"There's my girl," Lupin said, patting Hermione on the shoulder.

Ron immediately mumbled, "Just joking, was all…" He pulled his cloak a bit more tightly around himself.

"We have to look for a cellar or something," Harry said. He quickly surveyed the room. To his left, a set of stairs led up to the second floor. Ahead of him, a doorway led into what looked like the kitchen. "I bet we can get down there from the kitchen."

Lupin strode across the small living room in barely three paces, walking into the kitchen. "You're right, Harry. Look at this." Harry followed Lupin through the roughly hewn doorway.

"Mate, aren't cellars usually full of spiders?" Ron whispered.

Hermione stifled a laugh and pulled Ron by the arm into the next room.

Around the corner, a door in the kitchen sat directly below the stairs above. Harry tried it, but it was locked.

"_Alohomora_," he whispered. The lock clicked, and the door swung open. "It can't be that easy."

"Maybe they were hiding something in plain sight," Lupin added pragmatically.

"Why would they hide something from the Order?" Harry asked.

"You're looking at this the wrong way, my dear boy. They would have been hiding it _for _the Order. I'm sure Dumbledore knew what they were hiding. And knowing him, he probably didn't ask where it was for that reason." Lupin stepped into the dark stairwell and held his wand aloft. "_Lumos_." The trio followed Lupin as his wand lit up the small passage.

Harry was surprised to discover that the stairs were stone, not the creaky wooden stairs he had expected. They must have been built directly into the hard-packed ground. No matter how they were built, though, they emanated a damp cold that can only come from resting in the ground for decades.

The four reached the small cellar at the base of the stairs—a little room with stone floors and walls. Mud caked the floors and muffled the sound of their footsteps. Aside from a couple of empty wooden crates and some very elderly mead, the cellar was barren. A dank, mildewy smell sat heavily in the air.

Lupin turned suddenly and looked Harry in the eye. "Have you been practicing your Occlumens?"

"Er, a bit, I suppose," Harry stammered.

"You need to be keeping up with that," Lupin said. "If Voldemort"—Ron winced slightly at the sound, though he was wincing less than before—"had even a whisper of an idea of a hidden memory…" He did not finish.

"Harry, how could Alice have been to visit Godric's Hollow?" Hermione asked.

"I dunno; she was friends with Mum."

"Harry!" Hermione gasped. "Peter Pettigrew was the Secret Keeper! That means that he must have told Alice where they were hiding. So he knew she was coming."

"Now, I don't think that's something we need to worry about right now," Lupin said.

"What do we need to worry about right now, then?" Ron asked, warily eyeing a rather large, hairy spider that was crawling up the wall into a cobwebby corner.

"The room. If I didn't know about it, and others in the Order didn't know—"

"How do you know others didn't know?" Harry asked.

"I did a bit of, shall we say, research while you three were busy looking through those photo albums."

"What did you…?" Hermione began slowly.

"I don't think that's something we need to worry about right now," Lupin replied, winking at her.

Harry walked to the wall and began running his fingers along it, studying it closely. The stones were smoother to the touch than he had thought they would be.

"What are you looking for?" Ron asked.

"It's something I saw Dumbledore do once." Harry focused on the wall, not looking up as he spoke to Ron. "He told me that magic always leaves a trace." He paused at one particular spot.

"Prof—I mean, Remus, can you look at this?"

Lupin, Hermione, and Ron gathered around Harry. About three paces from the base of the stairs, behind the crates and aging mead, they kneeled beside him next to the wall. "When I run my fingers over this spot"—he showed them a stone at about knee-level from the floor—"I know something's different. I can't quite explain it."

Hermione touched it, and said, "I can't feel anything…"

Lupin studied it for a moment. "It's likely meant just for Harry."

"What do I do?" Harry asked.

Lupin pointed his wand at it and whispered a spell under his breath. The stone glowed for a moment, but that was it. He whispered something else, but this time, nothing at all happened. "This might be a bit harder than I had anticipated."

Hermione, unaware Lupin was speaking, pointed her wand at the stone and concentrated on it. She was performing an inaudible spell. Suddenly, the mud beneath their feet disappeared, and an archway formed where there had only been a stone wall before.

"Wow," Ron whispered.

"There's a reason you keep me around after all, isn't there?" Hermione smiled at her achievement and bounced through the archway into the dark passageway beyond.

"It's like a cleaning spell and secret room all in one. How did you do that?" Ron asked.

"A girl's got to have a few secrets, doesn't she?" Hermione smiled and lifted her wand. "_Lumos_."

"Well done, Hermione," Lupin said. He and Harry stepped into the passageway behind her, but Ron continued to gape a bit.

"Come on, Ron! What are you waiting for?"


	8. Chapter 8: The Broken Pensieve

Author's Note: This chapter is shorter than most, but please review! It would make my day. :-)

Chapter 8

The passageway that had looked so deep when unlit became only a short walk with the light of several wands. The stone walls held the same damp, earthly smell that had filled the Potter cellar.

Harry heard the sound of stone grating stone, and he looked over his shoulder. The wall behind them was closing—fast! He raced back, but it was no use. Harry pounded his fist on the stone and cursed rather more loudly than was necessary.

"Are we stuck in here?" Ron cried out, his voice cracking on the last word.

"Not necessarily, Ron," Hermione said pragmatically. She strode back to the wall, pointed her wand at, and concentrated. "It's not working," she whispered. "I'm using the same spell that I used to get us in, and it's not working."

"What spell did you use?" Lupin asked.

"_Evolvere_," Hermione replied.

Ron stared at her in awe for a moment.

"It is especially useful in rolling back stone. I just happened to be paying attention during Ancient Runes." Hermione smiled a bit in spite of herself.

"I'm afraid I wasn't thinking when we walked in. Two of us should have stayed outside. James and Lily wouldn't have made it that easy to get in." Lupin sighed wearily.

"We might as well look around while we're stuck in here," Harry said. "Let's follow the passageway.

"I'm with Harry. Let's go," Ron added.

"If we used the wrong spell to get in, we may not find anything," Lupin said.

"Seriously, mate, you need to stop being such a downer," Ron said.

"I suppose it can't hurt to look." Lupin replied, acquiescing slightly.

The four of them followed the passageway as it made a U-turn, and they stepped into a room that looked very much like a clean version of the cellar. The room was small with a small rectangular wooden table in the middle and an antique carved mahogany cabinet against the wall. One small chair sat on each side of the table. A Pensieve lay on the table, empty and badly smashed. A lone little spider crawled across the table.

"Something's not right, here, Harry," Ron whispered.

"Your Patronus! Call for help!" Lupin cried out.

Suddenly, the room filled with black smoke, and Harry's scar burned as though it had been touched by a firebrand. "_Expecto Patronum_!" He cried out, but only a wisp of silver escaped the end of his wand. As the pain of his scar began to cripple him, a voice formed inside his head. _Not been practicing your Occlumens, have you, boy?_ Just before crumpling on the floor, he heard Ron's voice and saw a flash of silver shoot past him.

Everything went dark.


End file.
